The best AI tools to work smarter… and chill a little

We hear about AI everywhere: at the office (thanks boss for the paid version of ChatGPT), on LinkedIn (a bit too much, right?), on the stock market (watch out for the bubble—should I sell my Nvidia shares now?), in coffee shops, and even at family dinners when our uncle asks, "So, is ChatGPT going to steal our job?"

The truth is, artificial intelligence has become a digital Swiss Army knife: it writes, codes, summarizes, draws, answers (almost) everything… and can even make music. In short, it's both a productivity copilot and a fun companion. And no, we're not losing our developer jobs (at least not right away—fingers crossed).

Here's a totally biased selection of AI tools we've been playing with 🙂

To code like superheroes (just ask the LinkedIn gurus)

GitHub Copilot: Create a function, a unit test, or have it suggest code lines before we even type them… that's exactly what it does. Copilot completes our code, helps debug, and more.

ChatGPT: More than just a chatbot, it's a 24/7 mentor. Need to understand a tricky algorithm, write clean documentation, or generate a snippet in three seconds?

CodiumAI: You know those unit tests we always push to “later”? CodiumAI handles them for us. No more excuses.

With these tools, we drastically cut down on tedious dev tasks. A mysterious compilation error (for us C++ newbies, for example), and boom—AI explains the why and how to fix it. Now we don't stress when we just need a quick one-shot script (long-term performance impact? Good question…).

To shine at work (and survive meetings)

Notion AI: We take notes as usual, then let Notion summarize, organize, and even rephrase for us. Basically, we work less but look more productive.

Otter.ai: This tool records and transcribes meetings. No more “sorry, I didn't take notes.” Now we can actually pay attention… or sneak a scroll.

Claude: Need to digest a 100-page report? Claude is our friend. It reads, summarizes, and gives us the essentials without us spending the whole evening on it.

To awaken our creative side

We're not all naturally creative… but these tools help us compensate ^^

MidJourney: Type “astronaut cat roller disco in space” and boom—we get an illustration worthy of an '80s album cover.

Canva AI: Got a presentation to make but zero time or design skills? Canva generates clean, stylish slides in just a couple of clicks.

Runway: The Photoshop of the future. Remove backgrounds, invent video scenes, or transform clips—it's almost magical.

There's still room for improvement to make it feel more natural, but let's be patient: progress is happening fast and pretty well.

To get organized and find things faster than Google

Perplexity AI: Smarter than our usual search engine, it gives clear answers with sources. Perfect when we want to get straight to the point.

Mem.ai: An augmented memory that links all our notes and projects. Like finally giving our brain an “intelligent index” mode.

Zapier + AI: Want to automate boring tasks (like sending an email whenever a file arrives)? Zapier with AI is a powerful ally.

To learn and relax

AI is everywhere (and thankfully, it doesn't look like Terminator):

Duolingo Max: Learning a language has never been this fun—AI corrects us, explains things, and even plays dialogues with us.

Character.ai: Want to chat with Napoleon, Tony Stark, or Pikachu? It's possible. (Spoiler: Pikachu talks, yes.)

Boomy: Create a song in seconds. Perfect for impressing friends at the next party.

Replika: A chatbot that becomes a buddy, a confidant, even a virtual companion. Ideal for judgment-free conversations.

Conclusion

AI isn't just a buzzword—it's a real tool that can boost our productivity and save us time (and maybe even money? I should ask my boss). The key is not to see it as a threat, but as a super assistant that never takes coffee breaks.

Of course, it doesn't replace humans (except in some cases), despite what dream sellers might claim. But these tools are really useful, add genuine value… and that's no fluff!